Build Thread 1990 Lx 5.0 Restomod Build

boostfrk · Apr 1, 2013

Drove the car around the block this morning. Voltmeter was reading high, the battery light was dimly lit and the tach was acting really funny...very jumpy. Then I remembered re-painting the front half of my engine bay last week and decided I had to re-do a couple of my grounds. Grinded the contact points back down to bare metal with a dremel and everything is back to normal. Phew.

Then, I started tearing stuff apart again.

Upper and lower intake manifolds have been removed. Lower was shipped off today to Tom Moss for porting. The upper will remain stock but will be stripped down and re-painted/cleared. Valve covers will also be removed while everything is off and stripped/re-painted/cleared. I'm thinking of just using a basic light/medium grey on the valve covers, similar to OEM. While the lower intake is off I'll also work on painting the rest of the engine bay, but judging from the amount of wire looms and hoses running back there it won't be easy.

FoxMustangLvr · Apr 1, 2013

Do you ever enjoy your vehicle in between mods? lol
Sounds odd to port the lower and not modify anything else (upper intake and heads). What's your plan?

boostfrk · Apr 1, 2013

FoxMustangLvr said:
Do you ever enjoy your vehicle in between mods? lol
Sounds odd to port the lower and not modify anything else (upper intake and heads). What's your plan?

There's some truth in that statement, haha. I do enjoy it in between mods, but the more I work on it I find that I really enjoy tinkering with it and seeing what I can accomplish. It sat on jackstands so long during the clutch swap just because I couldn't find time to work on it. The other driving force is my wife is separating from the Air Force this summer, so we're moving back to Colorado (where the house we own is) and going down to a single income. That's going to put a damper on the car budget, so I'm trying to get as much done as possible while I still can.

Also, my birthday is in a couple days. The intake porting along with a couple other non-car gifts are from my wife, it's possible she'll surprise me with something else...so this could continue.

When I talked to Tom Moss he said they recommend porting the lower and leaving the upper stock on a stock 5.0 engine. Many others speak highly of this mod and his work so we'll see. I don't have extensive plans for the car engine wise. At some point down the road I may splurge for new heads, but I don't see forced induction in my future. I like to maintain a level of OEM quality and reliability with my cars with just enough modifications to set them apart from the OEM version; I take this approach in both appearance and "go-fast" mods. I'm sure I'll think up of something else to do to the engine in the near future, but I don't know what it is yet.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I ordered some under drive pullies from LMR this weekend. The current crank pulley looks like it got hit with something (large rock or something) and looks as though it's wobbling when the car is running. I checked and it's tight, it's just bent I guess. Figured if I'm going to replace it I might as well upgrade.

FoxMustangLvr · Apr 2, 2013

There's some truth in that statement, haha. I do enjoy it in between mods, but the more I work on it I find that I really enjoy tinkering with it and seeing what I can accomplish

So what happens when you're out of things to tinker with? Can you be happy not working on something? Some people have to have projects and then when something is done they get bored with it, sell it, and start on something new to fix up. I somewhat fit in this category myself.

When I talked to Tom Moss he said they recommend porting the lower and leaving the upper stock on a stock 5.0 engine. Many others speak highly of this mod and his work so we'll see

What's the benefit of this? Why does he recommend leaving the upper alone? Is this just a budget mod or a hidden gain in there somewhere?

I ordered some under drive pullies from LMR this weekend

Doesn't UDP only benefit those in a constant state of higher RPM's? It slows down your belt fed system at idle and cruise speeds so what's the benefit unless your going to do auto cross or drag race? Is there something about them I'm missing?

Good luck in CO.

boostfrk · Apr 2, 2013

I fit somewhat into that category also, but I've had my Subaru for 6.5 years now and haven't tinkered with it in at least 2-3 years. When we lived in CO (in the house we own) a good majority of my time was spent on house projects. Once we move back that will take the majority of my time and the Fox won't get as much tinkering attention. My parents have somehow raised me to never stop improving; it's like they work for Lowe's or something

Tom says the majortiy of restriction is in the lower intake, not the upper. By porting the lower he can get the intake to flow ~190 cfm which is equivalent to a GT40 and just barely less than a Cobra, which is around 200 cfm. For the price you really can't beat it. Here is a link to his website where he talks about the benefits of porting the stock HO lower intake.

I agree that the UDP's are not a huge gain, although I'm not sure their benefit it felt strictly at higher RPM's. Again the pullies currently installed are pretty beat up so all is not lost as it could just be a cosmetic upgrade.

I'm working on finishing painting the back half of the engine bay today and tomorrow. I've got everything removed, I just have to tape everything off and then spray it.

FoxMustangLvr · Apr 2, 2013

Link?

I have a lot of yard work and home projects so the fox ends up sitting for weeks at a time without being touched. I've learned It's not possible especially with kids (and twins on the way) to get a lot done in a short amount of time like I used to. Time management is something i'm learning so I can make progress slowly but surely. I didn't like the idea of having a structured schedule for the weekends but it's helping me get things done and in the end i'm happier.

boostfrk · Apr 2, 2013

FoxMustangLvr said:
Link?

Whoops. http://tmossporting.0catch.com/

FoxMustangLvr · Apr 3, 2013

The way he describes the reasoning for porting only the lower intake makes sense if your on a serious budget. How much is this going to cost you including shipping back and forth?

I think porting the lower and getting an explorer 65mm throttle body for cheap would be some good budget HP while retaining a mostly stock appearance.

1200gt · Apr 3, 2013

Hey friend, I just happened to come-in late on your build thread - been here for about and hour going thru it up to now. Happey to see you're still in progress building so I can follow on thru, though I'm sure you wish you were finished already. I am about to embark on my build project; thanks for posting yours!

I noticed a few pages back on a rearend setup pic that you had some neat looking muffler to tailpipe clamps, what setup are they and what exhaust are you running, in case I missed a page?

Also, you didn't get to tell about the efan outcome. What happened in the end.

Paint: Are you happy with the paint job? if so, who did the work? maybe $$$?

Thanks

boostfrk · Apr 3, 2013

FoxMustangLvr said:
The way he describes the reasoning for porting only the lower intake makes sense if your on a serious budget. How much is this going to cost you including shipping back and forth?

I think porting the lower and getting an explorer 65mm throttle body for cheap would be some good budget HP while retaining a mostly stock appearance.

The cost is <$200 and will essentially give me the equivalent of a Cobra intake, which is about $350. For me, it's great because I get to retain the stock appearance while gaining more power, although I understand it's not like a rocketship.

I may have to try and locate a 65mm throttle body from an Explorer and the local pick-n-pull. I'll have to dig into that more and see what's involved in the swap, what year/model I need to get one from, etc.

boostfrk · Apr 3, 2013

1200gt said:
Hey friend, I just happened to come-in late on your build thread - been here for about and hour going thru it up to now. Happey to see you're still in progress building so I can follow on thru, though I'm sure you wish you were finished already. I am about to embark on my build project; thanks for posting yours!

I noticed a few pages back on a rearend setup pic that you had some neat looking muffler to tailpipe clamps, what setup are they and what exhaust are you running, in case I missed a page?

Also, you didn't get to tell about the efan outcome. What happened in the end.

Paint: Are you happy with the paint job? if so, who did the work? maybe $$$?

Thanks

I'm still far from wishing I was finished. I enjoy the journey and have enjoyed looking back at bringing this car from a piece of junk to what it is today.

The tailpipe clamps are from Summit Racing, http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wlk-33226. They have worked very well so far. The tailpipes are the 2.5" version from American Muscle, http://www.americanmuscle.com/mustang-tailpipes-8697-v8.html. I also used muffler/tailpipe sealant at some of the joints, especially where the tailpipes and muffler join.

The e-fan hasn't been completed yet. With the lower intake off and the underdrive pullies coming I haven't installed the electric fan yet. The lower intake should be back late next week. I would expect the lower and upper intakes to be on, the underdrive pullies installed and the electric fan installed with the controller in about 2-3 weeks from now. I have some travel for work coming up the week after next so that will kill nearly a whole week for me.

I am happy with the paint job. It's not perfect, but it's a great job for what I paid. There is a guy in Orlando that restores and re-builds Foxes, so he has a paint guy, upholstery guy, etc. I've bought countless OEM parts from him and built somewhat of a relationship with him so he was willing to set me up with his paint guy and help me get my car painted. He sanded it, primed, base coat and clear coat and wetsanded for a total cost of $1600. I removed all the trim as seen earlier in preparation for paint. To my surprise, after he received it back from his paint guy, he painted and re-installed all the body molding trim, gave me new headlight seals and a new front Ford emblem. The trim was the biggest help by far.

Any more questions, just ask!

1200gt · Apr 4, 2013

boostfrk,

I am truely happy to hear that you are still having a good time with this build! And, I am more than happy that you took the time to give me the links and the feedback on my questions. I am certain you have been asked many question about this build, almost til it can be considered a project in itself just to field them. But then, I guess that's all a part of the fun as well. Admiration for work well done is often good for the soul...

PM me with you guy in orlando when you get a minute, I am always running the 95 corridor from down here in Ft. Lauderdale area. Maybe I can make a connection with him and he may be willing to help me check out hispaint guy's work up close. Finding a quality body shop to do the work at a reeasonable price has proven, for me to be a grind, as I find not all shop want to put in the proper labor to do things right, especially where it comes to the bumpers and soft rubber being flex-prepped correctly. I don't mind paying well, but for work well done.

I'm going to continue to follow your progress as you post. I have already picked up many tips from your build post, this coming from a fabricator myself. The efan issue is something that I will pay close attention to, as I have an 86 that never had the efan or its circuitry. I am also going to be install a complete A/C System Overhaul and I hear the fan efan with relay from thr compressor circuit would be a plus.

Enjoy your travels and I will wait to read your next connection.

Thanks,

Dwayne

Cory Berg · Apr 4, 2013

I really like your valve covers.... lol

boostfrk · Apr 4, 2013

Cory Berg said:
I really like your valve covers.... lol

Me too! Between the Ford blue and the perfectly stenciled 5.oh they don't get any better!

These damn valve covers have bothered me since I bought the car. I can't wait to paint them.

Cory Berg · Apr 6, 2013

Do you have any idea where they came from? They have the potential to be incredibly clean looking covers.
Are you going to paint them just the same?

boostfrk · Apr 6, 2013

I don't know where they came from, but they are no longer the same. The stencil work isn't very clear and the covers themselves are not very well painted. The paint is flaking off in many places and isn't consistent. Additionally, I just didn't like them.

I painted them aluminum/silver yesterday and they're currently in the garage curing. I'll post up some pics of the paint process as well as after I get them re-installed.

FoxMustangLvr · Apr 8, 2013

You painted over the custom 5.0 stencil? Those were one of a kind Unsubscribed now!!!

boostfrk · Apr 8, 2013

FoxMustangLvr said:
You painted over the custom 5.0 stencil? Those were one of a kind Unsubscribed now!!!

We should use the term "stencil" loosely. If it was a stencil, it didn't have straight lines, the stencil wasn't applied straight and the paint wasn't very well applied...looked like more of a mist.

But you're right, they sure were one of a kind...

boostfrk · Apr 10, 2013

So I got the valve covers done and put back on the car.

I also got the intake manifold cleaned, sanded and painted. I put all the accessories back as well.

I have the intake cover plate, it's just not on since I need to re-install the upper manifold first. I tracked the lower manifold and it is scheduled for delivery on Friday, but I'm out of town for work next week Monday - Thursday so it will be next Friday, at the earliest, before I can start putting everything back together again.

Also, went to the junkuyard today and picked up a mint condition hood insulation pad w/ attachment hardware, some heater core hoses, a MAF from a '93 Crown Vic with a 4.6L and a 65mm throttle body from a 2000 5.0 Explorer; all for $63. I need to see about getting my stock EGR spacer bored to 65mm to match, but the intake side of the engine should be in pretty good shape after this.

FoxMustangLvr · Apr 10, 2013

After you get it all back together and drive it please report back with a butt dyno ASAP!! Looking clean!

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